At Swarthmore College, a private school outside of Philadelphia, students can now get excited about a new course coming in the Spring semester: “Queering the Bible.” The course will reportedly include “queer and trans readings of biblical texts,” just like the authors of the Bible intended.

From the Swarthmore online catalog:

The God of the Bible and later Jewish and Christian literature is distinctively masculine, definitely male. Or is He? If we can point out places in traditional writings where God is nurturing, forgiving, and loving, does that mean that God is feminine, or female? This course examines feminist and queer writings about God, explores the tensions between feminist and queer theology, and seeks to stretch the limits of gendering-and sexing-the divine. Key themes include: gender; embodiment; masculinity; liberation; sexuality; feminist and queer theory.

We’re all for school stretching their curricula to get students to think critically, but there’s a difference between being controversial and being blatantly offensive. This class, which was first reported widely by College Fix, seems aimed at nothing more than an attempt to spark rage from Christians – the only REAL oppressed minority on today’s college campuses. Quite the shameful step for a school that was originally founded by Quakers.

Fox News writer and radio host Todd Starnes spoke to the president of Truett-McConnell University, a Christian school in Georgia, to get his thoughts on Swarthmore’s course.

“If there were a list entitled, “Best Snowflake Colleges in America,” I am quite certain that Swarthmore College would be near the top of the list,” Dr. Emir Caner said. “Keep in mind, this is an institution of higher learning that has produced such ‘accomplished’ politicians as failed presidential candidate Michael Dukakis.

“While I am not surprised that lost people would so prostitute Scripture, perhaps there is a rainbow at the end of the storm when the student comes across John 3:16 and recognizes God’s unconditional love for them through Jesus Christ,” Caner continued. “Perhaps such an open-minded student will recognize the conviction of the Holy Spirit over the noise of liberal indoctrination, bow their knee to the One True Living God and be transformed.”

We sometimes suspect that schools like Swarthmore invent these course solely for the opportunity to get some free press, but then we’re not sure how that necessarily benefits them. Are parents rushing to send their children to schools with courses like “Queering God?” Who knows. Maybe they are. These social justice warriors on campus have to be coming from somewhere, and we’re sure that at least some of them have proud parents sitting at home, cheering on their every protest.

We usually roll our eyes when televangelists say that this hurricane or that tornado was brought about by God’s judgement, but if a natural disaster strikes Swarthmore over the next few months…well, we’ll have to wonder…